Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty injured while playing in Switzerland -NHL Update
Max Pacioretty was one of the few Montreal Canadiens’ players to head out to Europe in order to continue playing during the lockout, but the young forward’s run with the Swiss club, HC Ambri Piotta, came to an end abruptly due to undisclosed minor injuries.
The 23-year-old is reportedly coming back to the United States as it was deemed best for him to recover back home instead of trying to pursue treatment in Switzerland and maybe continue playing for the foreign club.
"He had a couple nagging injuries -- nothing that would keep him out of NHL games," his agent, Alec Schall, told ESPN The Magazine on Tuesday. "It was not an ideal environment for therapy and workouts. We just decided it would be best to come home and do
therapy and good workouts."
While the injuries have been termed to be minor by authorities, it is not sure what really has happened to Pacioretty and when a full recovery can be expected for one of the key members of the Montreal Canadiens line-up. This is one of the biggest issues
that teams face as their players head out to play and with the league and Players’ Association hinting at a possible start to the season on November 2nd, having him on board will be crucial.
Pacioretty, who is a native of New Canaan, Cincinnati, United States, was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens as the 22nd overall back in round-one of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He has appeared in 202 games thus far and has 114 points (53 goals,
61 assists) to his name with the last season being a breakthrough one for him as the youngster picked up 65 points (33 goals, 32 assists) in 79 games played.
Montreal granted Pacioretty a six-year contract extension this offseason, which has a total value of $27 million, giving him $4 million for the first three seasons and $5 million the remaining when it comes into force during the 2013-2014 hockey year.
Updates and developments on the player’s status should be expected in the next couple of days as he will be back in North America and be evaluated.
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